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Gee hurls three frames in first outing since July

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JUPITER, Fla. -- An admittedly "rusty" Dillon Gee climbed aboard the Roger Dean Stadium mound on Sunday and began firing fastball after fastball high in the zone. He was amped; for the first time since July, Gee was facing Major League hitters in a game.

"It's exciting just to be back out there again," he said after scattering three hits and a walk over three scoreless innings for the Mets against the Marlins.

Gee had not appeared in a Major League game since July 7, when he held the Cubs to one run over eight innings at Citi Field. After that game he began feeling numbness in his right hand, the early signs of a blood clot in his shoulder that required emergency surgery. Though Gee began throwing again before the end of the season, he did not return to game action.

That makes this an important spring for Gee, who is now fully healthy and slated to rejoin the back of the rotation. The injury, he said, is the furthest thing from his mind.

"I try to just put that behind me," Gee said. "I can't go out there and pitch timid. I felt great all offseason, so in my mind there's nothing to be worried about right now -- just getting better, that's it."